Blocked exits, packed lanes, flammable stocks, wiring mess: No change in Burrabazar in a week after hotel fire
Kolkata: A week has passed since a devastating fire at Rituraj Hotel in Mechhua claimed 14 lives, but fire safety violations continue as usual in the crammed and encroached lanes, markets, and other establishments around the hotel.
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Despite a city-wide crackdown on rooftop eateries and bars following the April 29 blaze, little has changed at the epicentre of the tragedy.
When TOI visited several buildings around Rituraj Hotel, it found locked terraces, obstructed exits, flammable storage in residential buildings, and illegal commercial activity thriving in residential buildings in the absence of any crackdown by the administration. Ironically, the same fire that prompted raids and closures of rooftop bars across the city seems to have made no impact in the area.
Locals alleged that the administration turns a blind eye towards violations. "Isn't this the place that should have seen the strictest enforcement? But there have hardly been any checks, and violations continue as usual," said Brijesh Agarwal, a resident and a trader in Burrabazar. Even as charred debris lie in front of Rituraj Hotel, the surrounding buildings continue with business as usual. At 8 Ram Lochan Mullick Street, just behind the hotel, the staircases leading to the terrace were locked.
This is despite the fact that, during the April 29 blaze, several hotel guests and staff were rescued only because they had access to the terrace.
According to the National Building Code, all buildings must have free and accessible escape routes — a regulation openly flouted in Burrabazar.
At 4B Madan Mohan Burman Street, several small-scale manufacturing units operate amidst several residences. The units store inflammable materialsand operate heavy machines.
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Electrical wiring needs immediate overhaul.
At 14 Madan Mohan Burman Street, traders turned the ground floor and shared passages of residential buildings into impromptu godowns. Cartons of fruits and packaging materials are stacked in escape routes.
"This is Burrabazar — every year, some fire breaks out and people die, but nothing really changes," said Rafiq Sheikh, a long-time resident of the area, adding "there is no vigilance, no penalties, and no fear of the law."
"We do inspections at regular intervals and request the traders to follow fire safety norms, but there is no compliance," said a fire department official added, requesting anonymity.
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